Spartans fall to Ennis despite Long’s 200-yard performance

The senior receiver goes off for 201 yards, but Centennial loses 45-30 to Ennis

BURLESON – Despite Damien Long going off for 201 receiving yards, the Centennial Spartans varsity football team lost 45-30 to the Ennis Lions Friday at Burleson ISD Stadium.

Long caught six passes–including a 68-yard touchdown–for 201 yards in the loss. He also put Centennial in position to score multiple times–catching a 43-yard pass to put Centennial at Ennis’s 1-yard line, a 29-yard pass to put them at Ennis’s 7 and a 32-yard pass to put them at Ennis’s 22. 

Long’s 68-yard touchdown reception cut Ennis’s lead to 45-30 with 5:26 left in the fourth quarter. Ennis blocked Centennial’s extra-point attempt.

That was sophomore quarterback Jacob Torres’s only touchdown pass as he completed 17 of 38 passes for 312 yards and the touchdown and two interceptions in the loss. Torres also ran for 25 yards on six carries.

Following Long’s 43-yard reception from Torres that put Centennial on Ennis’s 1-yard line, junior running back Jaylon Walker scored on a one-yard rush to put the Spartans on the board and bring the score to 14-7 after junior kicker Jack Miller’s extra point in the second quarter.

Walker ran for 115 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries in the loss. 

Walker’s second touchdown came on a 26-yard run to cut Ennis's lead to 28-21 after the extra point with 40 seconds left in the second quarter. Five plays earlier, Centennial recovered an onside kick after making it a two-possession game and bringing the score to 28-14 on junior running back Christian Williams’s nine-yard rushing touchdown.

Williams ran for 30 yards and the touchdown on six carries.

After scoring 21 points to cut Ennis’s lead to 28-21 in the second quarter, Centennial never came within 14 points after Ennis hit a field goal before halftime and scored the only touchdown of the third quarter to increase its lead to 38-21.

Ennis senior kicker Jax Bishop hit a 38-yard field goal to increase Ennis's lead to 31-21 with four seconds left in the second quarter following a 15-yard pass-interference penalty on Centennial that put Ennis on Centennial’s 21-yard line.

After a scoreless first eight minutes of the third quarter, Junior quarterback Zander Hinton threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Lamarion McGowan to increase Ennis's lead to 38-21 after senior Bishop hit the extra point with 3:14 left in the quarter.

Hinton completed 16 of 24 passes for 209 yards and three touchdown passes in the Ennis win.

Ennis’s fourth touchdown pass came on a two-yard pass from McGowen to Ayden Jones to increase Ennis's lead to 28-7 with 3:33 left in the second quarter. McGowen also caught five passes for 97 yards and a touchdown and scored an eight-yard rushing touchdown to increase Ennis's lead to 14-0 over Centennial with 11:57 left in the second quarter.

Jones also caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Hinton to increase Ennis's lead over Centennial to 21-7 after the extra point with 9:09 left in the second quarter. Jones caught three passes for 27 yards and the two touchdowns.

Less than two minutes after Miller hit a 31-yard field goal to cut Ennis's lead to 38-24, Ennis junior running back Wenderius Jones scored on a 40-yard rush to make it a three-possession game and bring the score to 45-24 with 5:43 left in the fourth quarter.

Jones rushed for 88 yards and the touchdown on 11 carries. 

Senior running back Jamarquez Farsee led Ennis with 107 yards on 15 carries. 

Farsee returned to the game after a collision with Centennial senior linebacker Lalo Pulido with 5:41 left in the second quarter. The injury cart was brought onto the field, but both players walked off on their own. Pulido didn’t return to the game.

Senior defensive tackle Kenny Urbina also permanently left the game with an apparent leg injury with 8:01 left in second.

Ennis scored the first touchdown of the game on a 21-yard pass from Hinton to senior receiver Gracen Harris to give Ennis a 7-0 lead over Centennial after Bishop’s successful PAT with 6:21 left in the first quarter.

Harris caught five passes for 53 yards and the touchdown and ran for 34 yards on seven carries and grabbed the game-sealing interception on the defensive side of the ball.

Harris intercepted Centennial sophomore quarterback Jacob Torres’s pass in the end zone on fourth-and-10 from the Ennis 15-yard line with 57 seconds left in the game.

Torres’s other interception came on third-and-goal from the 5-yard line with 2:39 left in the first quarter. This followed Torres’s 29-yard completion to Long–putting Centennial on Ennis’s 7-yard line–after Torres completed a 27-yard pass to senior receiver Keilan Gregory four plays earlier.

Gregory caught four passes for 63 yards. Senior receiver James Brown also caught four passes for 35 yards.

Despite scoring two less touchdowns and 15 less points than Ennis, the Spartans gained more yards with 480 to Ennis’s 448.

The Spartans (2-1) play the Fulshear Chargers (3-0) Friday at 7 p.m. at Hutto Memorial Stadium for their final non-district game.